A Mark Roberts Christmas Fairy hangs on a tree at Silk Greenery on Lockhill-Selma Road. Store manager and floral designer Sherry Pan likes to hang ornaments from branches she inserts into the tree for added dimension.

Photo By Tracy Hobson Lehmann

Snow, ice and owls combine for a serene woodland theme on a tree at Silk Greenery on Lockhill-Selma Road. The small flocked tree is hidden beneath all the embellishments.

Photo By Tracy Hobson Lehmann

Birds are a popular motif for Christmas 2012. Photographed at Silk Greenery on Lockhill-Selma Road.

Photo By Tracy Hobson Lehmann

Peacocks and their jewel tones are decorating trees this Christmas. Photographed at Silk Greenery on Lockhill-Selma Road.

It's likely to be a white Christmas in many homes this year, regardless of geography. Snow and ice are among the top themes in holiday trim.

White decorations complement clean, contemporary designs, says floral designer Sherry Pan, manager at Silk Greenery and Accents in San Antonio. It pairs beautifully with silver and crystal for an icy sparkle. Or it can be a soft and whisper-quiet woodland theme with the addition of owls, faux birch logs and feathers.

Add champagne tones to dress up the frosty, silvery mix and make it a cozy fit with traditional décor, suggests Beverly Welch of the Arbor Gate in Tomball.

Bring in mercury glass, a sparkling holiday commodity that looks good on mantels all year. Mix up the textures with the addition of burlap ribbon or grapevine.

Owls, a popular motif for children's fashion and décor, have swooped in for the season on trees with woodsy themes. They join flocks of other birds, everything from cardinals to peacocks, on yuletide branches. Flocked trees may be trimmed with nature-inspired ornaments, says Gail Bullion, design department manager at Cornelius Nursery in Houston.

Flocked trees are undergoing a resurgence, says Tracy Navarro, manager at Summer Classics Home in San Antonio. The white trees make a perfect canvas for color schemes that pop.

Bright pastel ornaments sweeten one of the flocked trees at Summer Classics. Navarro and associate Rosebud Geiger found an oversize gingerbread train with shades of chartreuse and fuchsia on it, and they went to town on what they laughingly call their Katy Perry tree.

Fresh colors are dressing up many retro themes this holiday season.

Jubilant hues of fuchsia, lime green, royal blue, teal and red drench a Party at the North Pole tree at Cornelius. Huge ornaments and fanciful top hats join the festive fun.

Pan acknowledges that changing Christmas color schemes can be daunting. She leaves a touch of red and green in most themes. Sometimes a nonholiday accent color such as aqua will be minimal, but its presence makes the tree fresh.

She and Navarro share other tips for creating a show-stopping Christmas tree:

• Create a focal point within the tree.

• Select large ornaments or objects you can attach to the tree, and place those pieces first.

• Make a scroll pattern up the tree with the statement pieces so they are distributed evenly.

• Use segments of florist wire about 5 inches long to secure ornaments to branches.

• Insert long floral picks among the ornaments

• Cut branches from the backyard, spray paint them white and stick into the tree. Allow the branches to project well beyond the tree for added dimension. Ornaments hung on the extensions will really shine.

• Give important ornaments prominent placement at eye level.

• Can't make a bow out of wired ribbon? Just loop the ribbon through the tree.

• Create a super topper with an explosion of ribbon, floral stems or branches.